99: Chapter 99: The Resonance of the Working Class

The nights at Hengchuan Peak were no longer filled only with shouts and the clashing of weapons.

There was now a peculiar "humming" sound—it was the low drone emitted by the [Sound Transmission Array] Su Ciyao had set up at the edge of the plaza as it received massive amounts of bullet comments.

The livestream's perspective was currently focused on a team of Disciples who had just finished their "post-battle review."

Covered in mud, they sat huddled under dim light, eating cold, hard steamed buns while filling out that hair-pulling 《Battle Damage and Resource Recovery Form》.

To outsiders, this scene might look "miserable," but to the tens of thousands of Loose Cultivators and low-ranking Disciples flooding the livestream, it became a strangely "healing scene."

Because the bullet comments exploded.

[Bullet Comment (Loose Cultivator · Carefree Guest): Holy crap, this made me cry, brothers. If our Gang suffers heavy casualties, the Gang Leader just tosses the bodies into a mass grave. Who would bother recording your name?]

[Bullet Comment (Qingyang Sect Outer Disciple): Don't even get me started. Last time we lost a Junior Brother, the manager embezzled his belongings and claimed publicly that they were voluntarily donated to the Sect. The ledger they cooked up looked much cleaner than this.]

[Bullet Comment (Down-and-out Sword Cultivator): You call that miserable? You at least have buns to eat! At our crappy peak, after a fight, we have to spend our own money on medicine to heal. If we don't have enough, we borrow at high interest, and the compound interest eventually forces us to sell ourselves to the Sect as mine slaves.]

The Disciples of Hengchuan Peak chewed their steamed buns while habitually looking up at the array subtitles floating by.

The original resentment of "Why do we have to fill out these forms?" suddenly... dissipated after seeing these dense, tear-stained accusations.

Someone even snorted with laughter, spraying bun crumbs all over the ground.

"Look at that ID 'Mine Slave No. 1.'"

The big guy, Zhao Tiezhu, pointed to a line of text floating in the air, "He said when someone dies in their mine, the compensation is just a straw mat."

"Last time Old Third broke his leg, the Peak Master directly issued a High Grade Rejuvenation Pill. Although it deducted our performance points for the month... that Medicinal Pill is truly valuable."

The little Disciple Ah Qi, sitting opposite him, had originally been dejected about filling in the wrong box.

Seeing the terrifying terms in the bullet comments like "50% battle damage," "fingerprint to voluntarily waive compensation," and "90% cut of Spirit Stones," he suddenly felt the steamed bun in his hand tasted a bit better.

"So..."

Ah Qi muttered softly, "We are actually considered a 'reasonable' place?"

At the livestream control console, Su Ciyao watched the data stream scrolling frantically in the background, the smile in her eyes deepening.

She was not just a streamer; she was a shrewd operator.

She knew that just being "miserable" could only trick people into sympathy once.

To make them stay, to turn them into "traffic," she had to guide them to vent the fire in their hearts.

"Fellow Daoists, fellow Disciples."

Su Ciyao's voice traveled through the array, gently spreading to every livestream room and into the ears of the Disciples from various peaks who were secretly watching.

"It seems everyone resonates deeply with being 'miserable.'"

"However, just crying about being poor is useless."

"We are in the cultivation world, where we emphasize 'reason' and 'data.'"

She changed the subject, her fingertips lightly tapping on the Formation Plate.

A large voting box popped up on the screen, accompanied by those detailed statistical charts from Hengchuan Peak.

"Let's play a game now."

"I want to ask everyone in front of the screen."

"What is the average battle damage rate of the Sect you are in?"

"After handing in the Materials from the Yao Beasts you hunted, how much Karma do you get back?"

"If you get injured, what percentage of the medical expenses does the Sect reimburse?"

"Don't hold back, let's chat anonymously. No one knows who anyone is."

This question was like splashing a ladle of cold water into a pot of boiling oil.

It exploded.

[Bullet Comment (Anonymous 9527): I'll go first! Chixiao Peak! Battle damage is consistently 60%! 100% of Materials are handed in, and half of the Karma issued is deducted by the manager as a 'management fee'!]

[Bullet Comment (Passerby A): The one above has it good. Where we are, if you die, you die. It counts as 'battle merit,' but they don't give money, only a false name. If someone in the family dies, there isn't even a pension.]

[Bullet Comment (Outer Disciple of a certain Sect): Here's the image! This is our peak's 'Karma Disclosure Form' from last month, it's all 0! And we clearly hunted several Tier 2 Yao Beasts!]

[Bullet Comment (Borrowing Money to Cultivate): Even if I could just fill out a form like Hengchuan Peak to get a Medicinal Pill, I'd be willing to work myself to death! I also want this kind of 'Performance Hell'!]

Su Ciyao looked at these overwhelming screenshots, data, and even photos of ledgers taken on the sly.

She turned back to look at Shen Xingzhou, her eyes carrying a hint of provocation and a desire for credit.

"Look, Peak Master."

"The world outside has much more resentment than our peak."

"This is... the trend."

Shen Xingzhou stood behind her, watching the red alerts jumping frantically on the System interface.

That was the System overload caused by the massive influx of information.

But within that overload, he saw something more terrifying than Spirit Stones or Magic Treasures.

[Data].

[Samples].

[Suppressed Truths].

[System Emergency Notification]

[Detected a large amount of 'External Resentment Samples' flooding into the node via the livestream array.]

[Sample Source: Various Sects/Loose Cultivator Alliances across the Nine Provinces]

[Data Type: Battle damage rate, resource allocation ratio, management System loopholes, survival status of the bottom layer]

[Analysis: Although these samples are messy, they possess extremely high comparative value.]

Should they be incorporated into the [V2.0 Testing Database]?

[Incorporation Effect: Can establish a 'Cross-Sect Comparison Model' to intuitively demonstrate the institutional superiority of the Qingheng Sect (especially Hengchuan Peak).]

Enhance the [Persuasiveness] of Hengchuan Peak's reform plan (data crushing).

Provide underlying data support for future [Cross-Sect Mergers/Alliance Negotiations].

[Risk Assessment: (Red Highlight)]

Involves 'inter-Sect boundaries' and may be seen as spying on other Sects' secrets.

If characterized as 'cross-boundary incitement,' it will trigger a Heavenly Dao-level ban.

Shen Xingzhou looked at that red "cross-boundary incitement" and frowned tightly.

Incorporating this data was equivalent to channeling the resentment of all the bottom-layer Cultivators in the Nine Provinces into Hengchuan Peak's System.

In the eyes of the Heavenly Dao, this was undoubtedly engaging in "clique formation" or even "class struggle."

Once exposed, Hengchuan Peak might be seen as an "unstable core" and suffer indiscriminate Lightning Tribulation strikes.

However.

If not incorporated.

He could only watch this traffic flow away for nothing.

He could only guard this small patch of land at Hengchuan Peak, waiting to be slowly swallowed by those behemoths.

In this era where information is power, reform without data support is just empty talk.

"System."

Shen Xingzhou took a deep breath, "Is there... a compromise?"

[System Reply: Yes.]

[Option: Partial Incorporation.]

Shen Xingzhou's eyes narrowed.

"Execute 'Partial Incorporation.'"

He stared at the bullet comments, his fingers swiping in the Void Realm as if cutting a cake.

"Only collect data that... has already been exposed in the livestream, or that they actively revealed themselves."

"Never actively steal private information that hasn't been exposed yet."

"What we want is 'resonance,' not 'dirt.'"

[Instruction Confirmed: Partial Incorporation]

[Executing data cleaning and scraping...]

[External Resentment Sample Database (Trial Version) · Established]

Collected sample size: 4,521 sets

Covered Sects: 127

Core Conclusion: The "battle damage rate" and "benefit transparency" of Qingheng Sect's Hengchuan Peak rank in the top 5% of the collected samples.

Shen Xingzhou looked at that "top 5%" and a sense of absurd yet real satisfaction welled up in his heart.

So, Hengchuan Peak, which they thought was terrible.

In the cannibalistic environment of the cultivation world, was actually a "paradise."

The livestream continued.

But this simple "grievance session" was evolving into a cultural carnival.

Su Ciyao typed several large keywords on the screen:

[Cultivating Immortality: Life or Death]

[The Boss Actually Settles Accounts]

[Refined Exploitation VS Rotten Systems]

"Everyone, look!"

Su Ciyao pointed to the comparison chart just generated on the screen.

That was the "Qingheng Sect vs. Other Sects" battle damage and benefit comparison chart generated by the System after scraping the data.

The blue bar (Hengchuan Peak), although not high, was at least solid.

While the red bars (other Sects) looked towering, they were hollow at the bottom (false reporting, no reimbursement).

"What is a 'worker'?"

Su Ciyao said with a smile, "It's not about not working, and it's not about not being tired."

"It's about having hope when you work, and having value when you're tired!"

"Hengchuan Peak may be bitter, and it may squeeze every bit of your stamina."

"But at least, every drop of sweat you shed is recorded in the ledger!"

"Isn't this much better than those places where 'working is for nothing, and dying is for nothing'?"

The bullet comments fell silent for a moment.

Then, an unprecedented sense of agreement erupted.

[Bullet Comment: Even if I'm being exploited, I'd choose the 'clearly priced' exploitation of Hengchuan Peak!]

[Bullet Comment: Even if I have to fill out forms until I die, it's better than being treated as a consumable and just tossed away.]

[Bullet Comment: Boss, are you still hiring? I want to work at Hengchuan Peak! Even if it's just moving bricks!]

[Bullet Comment: Same here! I also want this kind of 'refined exhaustion'!]

On the plaza, the Hengchuan Peak Disciples filling out forms watched these bullet comments, their expressions shifting from initial shock and shame to a... strange pride.

Ah Qi bit his pen, looking at the crumpled form in his hand.

Suddenly, he felt this piece of paper had become heavy.

This was no scrap paper.

This was their only amulet in this cruel world.

"Hey, Zhao Tiezhu."

Ah Qi nudged the big guy next to him, "Do you think... we are... pretty awesome?"

Zhao Tiezhu scratched his head foolishly, looking at that blue bar.

"Seems... so."

"Although we are still at the bottom."

"But in the eyes of those poor bastards outside, we are actually... a 'lighthouse'?"

[Internal Satisfaction Adjustment]

[Self-Identity: +10 (Transformed from 'Trash' to 'Advanced Worker')]

[Trust in Hengchuan Peak Management: +8 (At least they don't lie to ghosts)]

[Remark: What they worship is not the Peak Master, but the 'Rules'. ]

Shen Xingzhou stood on high, watching this scene.

He saw the power of culture.

It was not just a change in the System, but a reshaping of the human heart.

This group of bottom-layer Cultivators, who originally only knew how to complain about their bitter fate, suddenly realized that they were not born to die.

They had the right to pursue even a little bit of fairness.

Even if this fairness was "refined exploitation."

"Is this the effect you wanted? V2.0."

Shen Xingzhou thought to himself.

The System interface flickered with a deep blue light.

That massive [External Resentment Sample Database] was like a volcano that had just erupted, continuously providing Hengchuan Peak with the confidence to compare.

And just at this moment, a line of small text refreshed at the bottom of the System bar.

This line of text was no longer a cold warning, but carried a heart-stopping, grand narrative implication.

[System Prompt]

[External resentment has been successfully outsourced.]

[Data link established: Nine Provinces bottom-layer Cultivator ecology]

"Congratulations."

"Your ambition now is no longer just to reorganize one Qingheng Sect."

"If you are willing, in the future..."

"You can be more than just a Peak Master."

"You can—reorganize an entire 'worker ecology.'"

Shen Xingzhou looked at that line of text, feeling a chill shoot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp.

Reorganize an entire ecology?

Was that... wanting to flip the table of the entire cultivation world?

But he clenched his fists.

Since the table was already crooked.

Since everyone was sitting at the table hungry.

Then...

Why not flip it?